Most people with this problem are either
overweight or obese (discussed below), but people of normal weight can also have
the
disorder.
About 2 percent of all adults in the United States (as many as 4 million Americans) have binge eating disorder. About 10 to 15 percent of people who are mildly obese and who try to lose weight on their own or through commercial weight-loss programs have binge eating disorder. The disorder is even more common in people who are severely obese.
Binge eating disorder is a little more common in women than in men; three women for every two men have it. The disorder is found in all ethno-cultural and racial populations.
People who are obese and have binge eating disorder often became
overweight at a younger age than those without the disorder. They might also lose and gain back weight more often